Michelle Obama just issued a powerful reminder of why Donald Trump's comments can't be swept under the rug
First lady Michelle Obama implored voters not to brush off Donald Trump's graphic comments about women as "just a lewd conversation" during an impassioned speech at a Thursday event for Hillary Clinton in Manchester, New Hampshire. Obama stressed that the tape from 2005 of Trump bragging about groping women is not just "locker room banter," but rather a "powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory behavior."
Obama said that while Trump's comments in the tape released Friday have "shaken" her to her "core," what makes it even worse is that "it now seems clear this wasn't an isolated incident." On Wednesday, several women publicly accused Trump of grabbing or kissing them without consent; Trump has adamantly denied the accusations.
"It is intolerable," Obama said, arguing that these comments and accusations cannot be swept "under the rug as just another footnote in a sad election season." "[It] doesn't matter what party you belong to, no woman deserves to be treated this way."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Catch a snippet of her powerful takedown of Trump below, or watch the whole thing here. Becca Stanek
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hong Kong court convicts democracy advocate LaiSpeed Read Former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was convicted in a landmark national security trial
-
Australia weighs new gun laws after antisemitic attackSpeed Read A father and son opened fire on Jewish families at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 15
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign